


Sea Legs

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Y-G-October 2018 [23]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Anxiety, Established Relationship, Fear, M/M, Mermaids, Merman Atem, Mermen, Merpeople, Paranoia, Stress, Swimming, Swimming Pools, introvert Atem, protective Yuugi Mutou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: "Just... please Atem, I know how scared you are, but I really think you're worried for nothing, justtryto start letting yourself believe that they'll accept you.... please? You do that for me, I'll enjoy myself tommorrow, ok?"The merman glanced up, his expression ill and grim, but still smiling weakly at his partner"You have a deal,"Day 23 of Y-G-October 2018





	Sea Legs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Finaiarel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finaiarel/gifts).



> Day 23, "Paranoia", from http://horrificmemes.tumblr.com/post/177941943723/its-that-tiiiime-just-like-last-fall-im-giving

"Thanks again for dinner guys, we'll see you all tommorrow at the tournament!"

"Bye Yug! Bye Atem!!"

Atem forced a small, shy smile as he waved back, following Yugi out of the restaurant quickly and exhaling slowly the second the door was shut behind him

His eyes felt heavy, his entire body felt heavy actually, everything was .... off....

He felt exhausted, and a little ill, and yet when Yugi squeezed his hand, he smiled- a small but genuine smile, and leaned down to gently rub his cheek against his lover's shoulder

Yugi was like some sort of magnificent healing balm, spreading over the general ill feelings he was stuck with

"Sorry for making you do that, I know how uncomfortable it makes you,"

"Nonsense, you didn't _make_ me do anything Aibou, you asked me to, and I willingly- and gladly- obliged, and I am not uncomfortable, I enjoy seeing your freinds,"

Yugi stopped walking abruptly, wich caused Atem to stop as well, a curious expression falling over his face

" _Our_ freinds, Sweetheart, and you don't need to lie to me, I know that socializing like this takes alot out of you,"

Atem's smile faltered, his eyes a bit downcast as he stared down at the ground, not wanting to meet his partner's gaze

"It's fine, I'm fine, I like seeing _our_ freinds, truly,"

Yugi looked sympathetic, gently squeezing his boyfreind's hand before bringing it up closer to his face, giving his fingers a small kiss before gently pressing them against his cheek

"Atem... you know that they'll accept you, no matter what, right? You don't need to be so worried,"

Atem was still smiling, but it was so saddened now, so melancholy and resigned, it made Yugi's chest ache just to see him like that

"I .. I hear you, Yugi, but I cannot be sure, you never know how someone will react to this sort of ... _coming out_ until it's happened, please believe me when I say that, I do want to trust your freinds, I do want to believe in them, but in my past experiences.... I just... do not know when the best time to try telling them is, and I am afraid that once I do, everything will be ruined,"

"I know," Yugi promised softly, now taking both of his boyfreinds' hands and giving them both a gentle squeeze

"I know... but you'll be ok, you just need to come out and say it, like ripping off a band-aid, do it quickly and as painlessly as possible, it'll sting for a moment but it'll feel better- and be better- in the long run,"

"I know," he promised quietly, gently squeezing his lover's hands

"I know, and I do intend to tell them, I just... need a little bit more time,"

"Ok," Yugi finally agreed, leaning up to give his beloved a soft kiss on the cheek

"Ok,"

 

~+~

 

Atem was resisting the urge to toss and turn- though admittedly it was a difficult thing to do

He had been laying awake for the past thirty minutes, his eyes stinging and his body itching to turn onto his other side again but knowing he would just wake Yugi if he did

And he didn't want to do that

But his stomach was upset, and he could feel it turning within him, and within only about two more minutes, he hurried out of bed, dashing into the bathroom and falling to the ground, hurrying to lift the toilet seat as he heaved

He gagged, dry-heaved, and coughed, but nothing else happened

He panted quietly, gripping the side of the porcelain and feeling a sickened shudder pass through his body as his stomach flipped again and he gagged a second time

Unfortunately, no matter how badly he wished he could just keep this all to himself, his noisy little habbit had woken his boyfreind, and Yugi was not quick to dismiss what he was hearing

"Atem?! Atem are you ok?! What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Before Atem could answer or in any way stop his boyfreind, Yugi was sitting on the bathroom floor next to him, one hand on his back as the other gently rested on his leg

"I-I'm fine... I'm fine really..." Atem panted softly, slowly lifted his head and swallowing the urge to gag again

To say he was exhausted was putting it mildly, in some ways it was hard for him to stay awake, even though he was in the middle of nearly throwing his guts up, he was just so exhausted...

"You don't look fine," Yugi frowned, glancing down and wincing suddenly, very, very gently tracing his fingers along Atem's arm

Along the scales that were currently risen up over it like a rash

"Oh Atem... is this from all the socializing you've been doing the past few days?"

"I told you, I'm fi-"

"And I know you aren't," Yugi frowned

"I know you, you're a very shy, introverted person, you act social when people are around but you really aren't, and all of this socializing you've been doing lately, that I've been forcing you to do... it's really taking it's toll huh?"

"You haven't _forced_ me," Atem corrected again

"Atem, are we really focusing on this right now?" Yugi sighed softly, wincing as he heaved again

Atem looked down, trying to resist the urge to gag again as his lover reached out and gently started rubbing his back

"Don't take this the wrong way but.... you merfolk aren't exactly social, huh?"

"Actually we are, I'm the odd one out," Atem sighed back, trying his hardest to stop concentrating on how queasy he felt

"Merfolk are incredibly social, we have to be in order to survive, sort of like dolphins that way, but... I have always been more reclusive and self-natured, my father trained me from childhood to put on a good show around the others, I can act like a well trained seal for them now but ... at something of a cost,"

"Let me guess, this has come about because you're so afraid of getting outed and what will happen if you are... is that right?"

He wasn't proud of it, he looked away, chewing on his lip, guilty as sin

"Atem... I love you, and I will do ANYTHING to protect you, ok? I will not let anything happen to you, not ever, I swear... but.. still, I'm so sorry that things have gotten this far," Yugi said softly, kissing his forehead and rubbing the scales on his arm

Typically merfolk only had scales on their fins, for it to have spread like this, it was like the equivalent of a rash on a human, his poor boyfreind was so monumentally stressed out that he was sick to his stomach and covered in a rash...

"I love you too aibou, and you know that I will do anything to protect you as well, but please, do not-"

"And don't tell me not to apologize, I should have known this would be too much soon for you, look, my last duel is tommorrow, I'll cut my time after short and we can spend most of the evening in the room, go home in the morning, ok?"

"No, Yugi that is entirely unnecessary, you will enjoy your final day of the tournament regardless of the state I am in, and I will be _fine_ , understand?"

Ofcourse, that was punctuated by another dry heave, but it was the thought that counted

"I'm promising nothing, your health is what matters most," Yugi sighed, reaching out to gently rub his partner's back

"Just... please Atem, I know how scared you are, but I really think you're worried for nothing, just _try_ to start letting yourself believe that they'll accept you.... please? You do that for me, I'll enjoy myself tommorrow, ok?"

The merman glanced up, his expression ill and grim, but still smiling weakly at his partner

"You have a deal,"

 

~+~

 

Atem hadn't counted on Yugi being taken away from him

Not in a serious manner ofcourse but ... after he had won the tournament, he'd been wisked away for photoshoots and interveiws and Atem was on the verge of anxious tears within an hour, it had been a bit of a releif when Yugi insisted he go back to the room or spend some time alone in the pool or whatever he needed to do to calm down

The pool was a welcome distraction, with it being and evening in late October no one else was swimming, and the water helped relax him and soothe his troubled mind

It also gave him alot of time to think

Part of him knew that he was being paranoid about Yugi's freinds, an emotion that partly stemmed from his father's fear-mongering "All humans are evil and out to destroy us" teachings, but it still wasn't easy to make his emotional side take that to heart

He needed a way to convince himself to take a leap of faith and actually trust Yugi's freinds- _his_ freinds- and believe that they weren't going to hunt him down and-

"Atem?"

Jumping, the merman snapped his head up and stared in wide-eyed terror at the blonde in front of him

What in the HELL was Joey doing here!?

Ah.. there really was no way to hide now, not only was the water easily clear enough to see his tail, but when shapeshifted into his natural form, his lower half wasn't all that changed

His ears had a slight cartilage webbing to the backs, fingers grew claws, his teeth were sharper, like fangs, and there were noticeable gills against the side of his neck

He didn't exactly look like The Little Mermaid

"You're a merman?"

Welp, no use hiding it now

"Y-Yes...... I am....."

For a moment, albeit a breif moment, there was silence, before Joey shrugged his backpack off and then got rid of his shirt

"Cool, Yug know?"

.. What the hell kind of response-?

"Er... yes...."

"Oh, good, I was gonna say, if he didn't, ya' really gotta tell 'im, hey, how cold's the water? I could use a cold swim but not, ya' know, _ice cold_ ,"

For a moment, Atem's tail flicked through the water, before giving a small shrug

"It isn't bad, I'm used to tropical waters so if it was freezing I wouldn't be here, but my tolerance _is_ naturally higher than a human's,"

Joey nodded, apparently satisfied, and stuck a foot in, yelping and yanking it right back out

Atem wasn't surprised

"Ok, ok, that's gonna take some gettin' used to..."

Atem wished he could enjoy the theatrics, but...

"Joey...? Why are you not freaking out? I just revealed myself to be half fish, is this not cause for alarm?"

"Eh, well, I mean.... typically I guess it should be, but I've suspected for a wile now that somethin' about ya' is a little off, frankly I guess I'm glad it's just this an' ya' ain't a serial killer or somethin'.... you're not, are ya'?"

"A serial killer? No, I'd be too nervous to stalk a total stranger," Atem teased back, a slight smile on his face, and earning a laugh from Joey

"Good to know, so uh... ya' land-based permanently or...?"

"I can be if I choose to be, and I choose to be here for as long as Yugi desires me,"

"Well then, I'd get comfy if I were you, last I heard, you're it for him, better set up shop on land here Bud," the blonde smirked, slowly dipping his toes in the water again but this time settled for a wince instead of a full on yelp

"You.... really believe so?" the merman asked softly, the fins attached to his ears twitching a little in delight

"Yeah, I mean... ya' HAVE met Yug, right? Ya've spent time with him haven't ya'?"

"Yes," Atem laughed

"I have,"

"Then that should answer your question,"

Atem was... amazed

He never thought it would be this easy but Joey was reacting as though nothing had happened at all

Maybe, just maybe, if he could get similar reactions out of the others...

Maybe he really would be ok...

 

~+~

 

They had been home for three days now

Yugi's trophy displayed proudly in the living room, and Atem's secret no longer a secret to most of his- _their_ freinds- it was ... it was good

_Better_

Alot of the merman's anxiety was down, and although he was still not great with overly social situations, atleast he wasn't experiencing as much paranoia regarding people finding out about his secret

At that moment, he was enjoying a nice hot bath, soaking in the water, waiting on Yugi to finish dinner before coming up to join him

Their bathtub wasn't really big enough for the two of them with Atem's tail all stretched out- it wasn't even big enough for Atem's tail, really- but they managed and it was worth it

For now though, Atem was just happy and content to soak in the water, letting his stress dissolve, when suddenly, he heard a noise, jerking his head up and frowning

_Calm down_ , he told himself

_You're just being paranoid again..._

His heart was starting to race, tail flicking a little in the water, but there was that noise again, like something hitting the wall...

Slowly, heart beating wildly in his chest, he pulled back the curtain and peered out into the hall to see- ...

Their dog playing with one of her toys, tossing a little rubber ball at the wall back and forth

He breathed a sigh of releif, relaxing, shoulders sagging, and biting his lip

"Ariel.... sweetie... you gave me a fright, come here with your ball, I'll play with you," he offered, reaching out as a gesture for her to bring him the toy

And she did

And for a few moments they played fetch and all was well....

And then, suddenly, she started barking, disappearing into the bedroom

That was odd...

Why would she....?

"Aibou?" he called out, eyebrows pinched, head tilted

Had Yugi come upstairs without him realizing it?

The bathroom looked into the hall, he had a perfect veiw of the stairs, but he had drawn the curtain earlier to prevent a draft, seeing as the windows were currently open to let in the cool night air, had Yugi come up silently back then and been lingering in the bedroom for some reason?

"Yugi?" he called a little bit louder

But there was no response, just more barking....

He was starting to worry again, but he just kept telling himself that there was no need, that he was panicking for nothing, being paranoid again, still....

Just in case, he turned his attention to the towel rack across from him, maneuvering himself around in the tub with some difficulty to get to it

He'd have to get down and get rid of the excess water to get his legs back so he could go check on his partner, but-

"Don't move,"

That voice..... he didn't recognize that voice....

Slowly, the merman turned his attention upwards, and found himself staring straight down the barrel of a gun, held by some total stranger wearing an American flag bandanna

"You know, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you at the hotel pool that night, at first I thought it was some kinda hoax, 'till I watched you change back after your little swim, I actually thought I'd have a hard time finding you and getting to you too, but what'd'ya' know? You're dating the King Of Games, does he know you're a freak of nature? What am I saying? Ofcourse he does, you're in his tub! Man, I don't know who'll pay more for you, the mystic freaks on the black market, or the scientists with the government, either way... proving the existence of a monster like you is gonna fetch me a pretty penny, and simultaneously, get rid of one more disgusting threat to the human race, you should be glad that I got to you first, ya' know, instead of some fisherman, I doubt they'd make it as quick,"

Atem was silent

Just... utterly silent

Partly out of fear, but partly because he didn't want to interrupt his partner's concentration as Yugi snuck up behind the intruder and plunged a sword through his back

Blood sprayed _everywhere_

The floor, the walls, even on Atem himself, but the move was well timed and thankfully the gun clattered to the floor unused

"See?" Yugi said softly, pulling his sword away and jamming it through the stranger's neck, just to be on the safe side

"I told you keeping my replica Zanpokto in reach was a good idea,"

With that said, Yugi looked up at his boyfreind, blood staining both of their faces as he moved a few steps closer, gently cupping his hand against Atem's cheek

"Are you ok sweetheart?"

"I... I'm fine...."

"Good..." Yugi breathed, wrapping his arms around his lover and giving him a tight, squeezing hug

"It's just as I said earlier Atem, you don't need to be afraid, I will always, _always_ protect you,"

"Yes, my partner," Atem agreed quietly, slowly wrapping his arms around his lover as well

"I know,"


End file.
